The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) extracts and condenses the material that follows from Mexican, Central and South American and U.S. on-line media sources on a daily basis. You are free to disseminate this information, but we request that you do so in its entirety and credit NAFBPO as being the provider.

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CAUTION

There are graphic photographs that accompany some articles in the body of this report. It is not our intention to sensationalize. We include these photos in order to give to you, the American public, a clearer understanding of the seriousness of the situation in Mexico and Central America.

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Book Review-We were provided a prepublication copy of this book, and were planning a review shortly after it came out. Yet, the one that follows makes it unnecessary. The book is highly recommended by M3. A couple of us could not put it down once begun.

Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico’s Drug Wars
Written by Nathan Jones

Despite its inflammatory title, “Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico’s Drug Wars” is a thoughtful text, which warns not of a literal invasion of cartel gunmen, but of the insidious spread of corruption over the border.

Take the book’s presentation with a grain of salt and keep in the back of your mind that the publisher needed a “sexy” title in order to sell books. Then read this colloquially written primer, and appreciate its achievement in addressing a broad and controversial topic in plain language.

This book is an excellent introduction for someone new to the subject of Mexican drug trafficking. It makes up for its lack of depth in specific topics with its breadth on large policy questions, including discussions of legalization/regulation of marijuana, and revisiting the U.S. legislation (the Tiahrt Amendment) that ties the hands of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in its efforts to prevent the flow of guns south.

In an interview with InSight Crime, Longmire clarified her view that “invasion” did not mean a “war of the worlds” style invasion of the U.S. by Mexican cartels. Rather, the invasion she refers to is the subtle and insidious growth of Mexican drug cartels’ corrupting influence on U.S. law enforcement, and a slow increase of spillover violence.

Longmire is a former intelligence analyst with the U.S. Air Force who has become a consultant on Mexican security issues and asylum cases. Appropriately, her most important contributions are in describing the “tactics, techniques and procedures” of Mexican cartels. Particularly enlightening is her chapter on kidnapping, which details the actual procedures used to kidnap, both in the U.S. and in Mexico. She contrasts Mexican cartel procedures with those of Colombian criminal groups, concluding that the Mexican cartels use higher levels of violence and are more erratic.

However, her discussion of Los Palillos, a spin-off kidnap cell of the Arellano Felix Organization, is illuminating in describing the how of kidnappings but lacks the who. The majority of Los Palillos kidnap victims were targeted AFO members in the United States following an internal feud in 2002, according to the New York Times. Leaving out this crucial point threatens to contribute to the alarmist rhetoric on spillover violence. The average American, uninvolved in trafficking, is still not a target.

Longmire argues for the exploration of “regulatory options for the production, sale and distribution of marijuana in the United States.” This is surprising given her earlier Los Angeles Times op-ed piece headline “Legalizing Marijuana Won’t Kill the Cartels.” In the book she develops a more nuanced position which includes demand-side strategies like “public awareness campaigns for underage and adult marijuana users.” While Longmire overemphasizes the importance of border security as part of the problem, the book provides an accessible primer to the policy issues involved in the deteriorating Mexican security situation, and its implications for the U.S.

**Asterisk denotes death involving a police officer or a member of the military serving in that capacity.

SAN LUIS POTOSI

Mexican Army officials announced the arrest Thursday of eight Zetas, three female and five males. They also secured two AK-47 rifles, an AR-15 rifle, 19 magazines, 350 cartridges, marijuana, crack cocaine, three late-model trucks, six mobile phones, and 121,820 pesos in cash.

CULIACAN, SINALOA

A 32 year old woman was shot and killed as she got into her pick up truck. Investigators located both AK 47 and 9mm casings at the scene.

ZIHUATANEJO, GUERRERO

On Wednesday, several narco banners signed by the Knights Templar were hung around the city. The banners said they would not allow kidnapping or extortion and wanted to return peace and tranquility to the people.

SANTIAGO, NUEVO LEÓN

Thursday, several narco banners appeared, threatening to carry out mostly grenade attacks against local schools. The community became frightened, which caused the mayor to minimize the threat, saying that the military, police, and the police helicopter would provide security.

VERACRUZ, VERACRUZ

Mexican Marines captured two Zetas which were responsible for the kidnapping of 3 Marines in July. They also seized six rifles, four magazines, 594 cartridges, marijuana and a vehicle. The prisoners were transported to Mexico City.

CHIHUAHUA, CHIHUAHUA

A group of friends were relaxing together near a well know dam, Presa El Rejon on Thursday evening. A group of gunmen came, took one of them to a vehicle where they cut off both legs. The friends got him to a hospital, where he is hospitalized and lost both legs.

ZAPOPAN, JALISCO

Roberto Carlos López Castro, alias Toruño, and a cell leader of Los Zetas which attacked the casino in Monterrey, was arrested Friday by agents of the state Attorney General’s office. Federal police had observed him and a woman at a Holiday Inn Express. When captured, he had numerous ID’s with different names, but was not armed.

MONTERREY, NUEVO LEÓN

During the day Friday, three men were executed in front of numerous witnesses. The witnesses reported that the 3 were made to kneel in front of a wall, and were shot.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA

Saturday, a family was driving in their vehicle when they were attacked by gunmen in another vehicle. The gunmen opened fire, killing the father, mother, and two children, 8 and 4 years old.

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